spa

All posts tagged spa

for this year’s holy week break, the family went a little bit south. our destination: golden sunset village resort & spa.

golden sunset is a resort owned by ricky reyes. it is located at calatagan, batangas. from it’s website:

Golden Sunset is one of the country’s premiere resort, just a two-and-a-half-hour drive south of Metro Manila. Located in the historic town of Calatagan, Batangas, it is fast becoming the destination for vacationers and beachgoers alike. Golden Sunset has something for every member of your family: a Serendipity Spa where you can relax and unwind, an aviary (Birds de Paradiso) where your kids can learn more about birds and various restaurants where your whole family can wine and dine to different types of cuisines. Finally, the vacation you and your family truly deserve!

Golden Sunset offers to its guests the perfect mix of breathtaking natural features, world-class amenities, relaxing yet exciting leisure activities and excellent service from a courteous and well-trained staff: all the ingredients of a relaxing and memorable vacation in one destination! Take a stoll along our sandy boardwalk, swim in our crystal clear waters or simply marvel at the beauty of our golden sunset.

there are a lot of activities that you can do inside the resort. the only downside is that they have no actual beach area where you can swim. there is just some sort of shore. most of the waters in calatagan are like these — they are either rocky or they serve as fishpens.

they are not that strict with the bringing in of food and snacks. there are several restaurants that serve food inside the resort. you cannot use cash inside the resort for purchases. you will actually be issued a “passport” which will be loaded with a certain amount of credits based on how much the guest wants, and that is what will be used.

the front desk

we got one deluxe room and one superior room. each room has one double bed, and two double beds. a mini living room with television, private toilet and bath, and an attic with extra provision for beddings. the room was ok, a little bit outdated and some of the facilities and fixtures need updating. also, the aircon wasn’t enough to cool the entire room on a hot summer day. the television didn’t have cable, and the reception from the antenna was bad.

pink jeepneys

to go around the property, you can walk, or you can ride one of these pink electric jeepneys driven by the resort’s staff. these are what you ride with your things from the front desk to the cottages/rooms that you have rented.

cultural show

there is a teaser of the cultural show during noontime. what we witnessed is a short number of hawaiian/hula dances. there is a full length cultural show at night, around 8pm.

swimming pool slide

there are a lot of pools around the are, but the rooms were near the main pool. these are two adjacent pools. one is from 4ft – 6ft, with the 2-level slide. next to it is a more shallow pool where my son enjoyed walking around in. it also featured massage beds with rainfall showers that massage your whole body.

the golden sunset

we strived to capture this scenery. the golden sunset from which the resort’s name came from. it is indeed beautiful to look at.

around the property

row of rooms for rent

we had dinner at one of the restaurants which serve traditionall filipino food. we had adobo, bulalo, fried fish and liempo. after dinner and watching the cultural show (which also required some audience participation), we walked around the property.

rawr!

the next day, we explored the “mini zoo” and the aviary. the little boy took a lot of pictures with the different animals – both alive and statues. we also went inside a pigeon/dove sanctuary where we saw lots of these species of birds, and even saw some eggs.

albino peacock

indian peacock

one of the highlights that we saw were the peacock. we had to wait for a while before these birds showed their beautiful plumage. it was indeed a treat.

after we checked out of the resort, since we took the tagaytay route, we stopped by one of the restaurants to have our late lunch of bulalo and tawilis. and then we proceeded to sky ranch where we spent the rest of the day.

the sky eye

sky rider

of the rides available, we tried the sky eye together with hubby and the little boy. and of course, i couldn’t resist trying out the sky rider, which is their 300m long zipline.

after other rides and some snacks, we called it a day and went back home.

for valentine’s day 2010, junjun and i spent it by availing the package offered by island cove in cavite.

after checking into the room, there were two boxes of chocolate hearts for us to munch on. the room was spacious enough for two people. there was a closet, a veranda, a big bed, and a nice toilet and bath. most of all, there was free wi-fi! ^_^

we ate a box of the chocolate, browsed thru some television programs, then had a nap.

after the nap, at around 6pm, we proceeded to the island spa, where we will be having our massage. it was a nice whole body massage which lasted for about an hour. at the end of the massage, we were given hot tea (with hint of ginger) to further relax us.

we then went back to our hotel room, where we changed our clothes and got ready for the dinner. it was served at the resort’s sangley point restaurant. for the package, they had 2 set meals which you could choose from. this comes with a glass of red or white wine for each of you.

first came the seafood chowder. this was very tasty. the soup was creamy and at the same time, you can identify each of the bits of the seafood present in the soup. the soup was accompanied with pieces of garlic bread.

next came the main course. junjun had tuna belly, while i had the lamb with mint jelly. both of the dishes were flavorful and cooked just right. my lamb was very tender, and one could taste the rosemary that was used to flavor the meat.

while having dinner, we were also serenaded by an acoustic band. they sang our song, “till they take my heart away” and “ikaw.”

for dessert, we had strawberry shortcake a la mode, which was a perfect ending to our dinner.

our stay also entitled us to use the pool for free, but we decided to just stay in the room the next day until we checked out.

Last saturday, i decided to try out the newly-opened california nail and day spa at SM Malll of Asia.

When you enter their shop, you will be greeted by friendly front desk staff asking you what service you want. The place is nicely decorated, and is very girlish in their motiff colors of pink, purple and white. i also liked the chandelier that was hanging in the ceiling.

I opted to get only a pedicure. I seated for a while at the waiting area, and then i was introduced to the nail technician who will be doing my nails.

The nail technician was very friendly and efficient at what she does. She asks me everytime regarding what i want to be done with my pedicure like if i want my cuticles cleaned, my nails filed or cut, etc.

I opted to use the Orly nail polish for an additional of Php 20.00. The technician recommended it since it lasts long and does not chip. I chose the red color, which my feet look nice and clean.

The chair where i sat while i was being serviced was very comfy. After nail polish was applied, cute little electric fans were used to speed up the drying process. The bill also arrived in a tray, so that you don’t have to get up and go to the front desk for payment.

For Php 220.00+, i could say that i was satisfied with my pedicure since it included feet scrubbing and a massage.